Sheet feeding and registering mechanism



Jan. 23, 1962 H. J. SEEL SHEET FEEDING AND REGISTERING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 6, 1958 1N VEN TOR. fi QWA/FD I 5854 BY M, 9 ,Wfl WM Jan. 23, 1962 H. J. SEEL SHEET FEEDING AND REGISTERING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 6, 1958 I N VEN TOR. floma; J 4525 Jan. 23, 1962 H. J. SEEL SHEET FEEDING AND REGISTERING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 6, 1958 INVENTOR. flown/e0 ISA-[L Jan. 23, 1962 H. J. SEEL SHEET FEEDING AND REGISTERING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 6, 1958 INVENTOR. Ham/20 [5554 BY q) Jan. 23, 1962 H. J. SEEL SHEET FEEDING AND REGISTERING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 6, 1958 l INVEN TOR. HOW/W0 J 5221 Arron/5Y5 United States atent ice 3,918,999 SHEET FEEDEN' AND REGESIERING MECHANHSM Howard J. Seel, Chagrin Falls, Ohio, assignor to Harris- Intertype Carper-ration, tCleveiand, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 6, 1958, Ser. No. 772,255 13 Claims. (Cl. 271-46) The present invention relates to sheet feeding and registering mechanism of the back-gauge, or pusher type, and particularly to Such a mechanism for feeding and registering sheets, especially sheets of metal, to a sheet handling machine, such as a metal decorating press.

In a back-gauge feeding and registering mechanism for a sheet handling machine, individual sheets are pushed forwardly to the machine by back-gauges that engage the trailing or back edge of the sheet. As the sheet is pushed forward, the back edge of the sheet is registered or squared against the back-gauges so that the sheet is presented to the machine in the correct angular position. Most commonly, the baclogauges are mounted on a reciprocating carriage which is moved in a feed direction to advance the sheet to the machine and in a return direction to return the back-gauges to a position for engaging the next sheet to be advanced to the sheet handling machine. A back-gauge feeding and registering mechanism of this type is fully shown and described in United States Patent No. 2,797,094 to Howard J. Seel. As shown in that patent, the sheets to be fed and registered by the back-gauge type feeding and registering mechanism are commonly delivered into position to be engaged by the back-gauges by a preliminary advancing means. The operation of the preliminary advancing means and the back-gauge feeding and registering mechanism is correlated so that the sheet is moving at the time the backgauges engage the trailing edge to take the sheet from the preliminary advancing means and push it forward. According to the teachings of the aforesaid Seel patent, this correlation is such that the back-gauges are moving at approximately the same speed as the sheet at the time that they take the sheet from the preliminary advancing means.

One of the problems involved with a back-gauge type feeding and registering mechanism is that of sheet bouncing. The sheet to be fed tends to bounce against the back-gauges when the latter first engage the sheet and it has been discovered that this bouncing tends to continue after the initial engagement and as the sheet is pushed to the sheet handling machine. This is a particular problem in high speed machines in which the time available for settling of a sheet against the gauges is extremely short.

Bouncing of the sheet is objectionable because it interferes with the registration of the sheet against the backgauges as the sheet advances and the sheet, therefore, may not be positioned properly as it enters the sheet handling machine. It is necessary, therefore, to eliminate or minimize sheet bouncing if good registration is to be obtained with the back-gauge type feeding and registering mechanism.

Heretofore, attempts have been made to eliminate or reduce sheet bouncing by providing stationary magnets which exert a drag on the sheet being fed. Magnets have not proved to be entirely satisfactory and are completely ineffective when the sheet is of aluminum, cardboard, or other nonmagnetic material. In the aforesaid Seel patent, bouncing is minimized to an extent by correlating the operation of the preliminary advancing means and the back-gauges so that the back-gauges take the sheet from the preliminary advancing means when the back-gauges are moving at substantially the same speed as the sheet. While this arrangement minimizes bouncing to a great in! extent depending upon the condition of the sheet, it has not proved to be the ultimate solution.

It is, therefore, an important object of the present invention to provide a new and an improved method and means for minimizing or eliminating sheet bouncing in the back-gauge type of feeding and registering mechanism which may be used in place of or in conjunction with the methods and means heretofore utilized to minimize sheet bouncing to thereby improve. the registration obtained with the back-gauge type of feeding and registering mechanism.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and an improved back-gauge type sheet feeding and registering mechanism which is so constructed and arranged that sheets, either magnetic or nonmagnetic, may

'be fed at high speeds without detrimental sheet bouncing,

thereby enabling good sheet registration to be obtained.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved carriage for a back-gauge feeding and registering mechanism in which the sheet is gripped by a sheet gripper as it is being advanced by the carriage and is moved while so gripped into engagement with a sheet registering gauge moving with the carriage and is preferably then held against the gauge for substantially the remainder of the feed movement.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a sheet feeding and registering mechanism, of the backgauge type, wherein the sheet being fed is effectively gripped by a gripper element on a carriage and wherein the gripper element and back-gauge are advanced together in a feed stroke and relatively moved to snug the sheet gripped by the gripper element against the backgauge until it is taken by a sheet handling machine.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a new and an improved back-gauge type feeding and registering mechanism in which the carriage which carries the back-gauge or gauges also includes a gripper element adapted to move the sheet into engagement with the back-gauges, and side gauges for side registering the sheet; and in which the gripper element is so constructed and arranged that it does not interfere with the side registering movement of the sheet even though the sheet is gripped by the element at the time the side registering movement occurs.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a new and an improved back-gauge type feeding mechanism in which a vacuum sucker is advanced with the back-gauge of the mechanism and is adapted to provide a tractive force on the sheet being fed by the back-gauge to minimize bouncing of the sheet as it. is pushed forwardly.

The present invention also contemplates the provision of a back-gauge type sheet feeding and registering mechanism as set forth in the preceding paragraph wherein the sucker is moved rearwardly to snug the sheet being fed into engagement with the back-gauges, and wherein the sucker grips the sheet at the beginning of the feed stroke of the sucker and releases it at the end of the stroke.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a metal decorating unit and a back-gauge type feeding and registering mechanism embodying the present invention and adapted "to feed sheets to the metal decorating unit;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of one side of the feeding and registering mechanism of FIG. 1 but also including side-gauges for the sheets being fed and showing the carriage thereof in an advanced position;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but having parts thereof cut away to show the mechanism for operating the back-gauges of the mechanism;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view through the feeding and registering mechanism taken approximately along line 4-4 of FTG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view through the carriage showing the sheet sucker embodied therein for moving a sheet against the back-gauges of the carriage;

PEG. 6 is a simplified plan view of the carriage of the feeding and registering mechanism with the side-gauge structure omitted and other details of structure omitted to provide a simplified showing of the structure of the carriage and the relative positions of the back-gauges, side-gauges and sheet gripping sucker, the carriage being shown in its retracted position;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 5 with certain parts thereof shown in section;

FIG. 8 is a detailed view of a back-gauge stop;

FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view showing the relationship of the side-gauges, back-gauges and sheet gripper element of the described mechanism; and

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken approximately along line 10-40 of FIG. 5.

Referring to the drawings, the present invention is shown as incorporated in a sheet feeding and registering mechanism shown and described in the aforesaid Seel Fatent No. 2,797,094. While the drawings and description of the present invention include the structure of the sheet feeding and registering mechanism shown in the aforesaid Seel patent necessary for a complete understanding of the structure and operation of the present invention and its manner of cooperation with the other parts of a back-gauge type sheet feeding and registering mechanism, reference is made to the aforesaid Seel patent for those details of structure and operation not believed necessary for an understanding of the present invention. While the present invention has been shown as embodied in a back-gauge type feeding and registering mechanism of a particular type, it is to be understood that the invention may be used with other types of back-gauge feeding and registering mechanisms.

Referring to the drawings, sheets S to be delivered to a sheet handling machine 16 are moved in succession onto a feed table 11 where they are engaged by a pair of back-gauging pushers, or back-gauges, 12 of a backgauge type feeding and registering mechanism 13 and are pushed thereby along the feed table 11 in a feed direction to the sheet handling machine. The sheet handling machine shown is a metal decorating press having an impression cylinder 14, a blanket cylinder 15 and a plate cylinder 16. The feed table 11 registers with the nip of the impression and blanket cylinders and the sheets are delivered in proper registration with respect to these cylinders by the back-gauge feeding and registering mechanism 13. The feed table 11 is comprised of a plurality of spaced longitudinally extending bars or rails 18 (only one of which appears in the drawing) along which the sheets '5 are pushed by the back-gauges 12, the backgauges being disposed between the bars. The bars 18 are supported above spaced side frames 26 which support a carriage 21 that carries the back-gauges 12. The carriage 21 is reciprocable and is moved toward the sheet handling machine 10 through a feed stroke to advance the sheets S, and away from the sheet handling machine to return the back-gauges 12 to the beginning of their feed stroke. The carriage is shown in an advanced position in FIG. 2and in a retracted position in FIG. 6.

The carriage 21 is comprised of a pair of spaced racks 25, 26 which form parts of opposite side members of the reciprocating carriage and which are tied together by front and back tie rods 27. The racks 25, 26 and, in turn, the carriage 21, are supported for reciprocatory movement toward and from the sheet handling machine 10 by front and rear wheels 28 on each rack which roll on rails 30, 31 disposed respectively adjacent the racks :25, 26 The carriage 21 is reciprocated by pinion gears 32, 33 which mesh respectively with the racks 25, 26. The pinion gears 32, 33 are fixed to a common shaft 34 supported by the side frames and are oscillated to reciprocate the carriage by a rotary-to-reciprocating Geneva motion mechanism A shown in FIG. 1. To reciprocate the carriage 2 1, the shaft 34 and, in turn, the pinions 32, 33 are driven through the mechanism A from the machine drive. The mechanism A includes forward motion shaft 35 and a reverse motion shaft 36 supported by the side frames 21 parallel to shaft 34. The shafts 35, 36 rotate in opposite directions and are intergeared with the cylinders 14, 15, 16 which are intergeared with each other and driven from the machine drive. The Geneva mechanism A includes a pair of drive mechanisms 37 and 38 mounted on oppositely r0.- tating shafts 35 and 36 respectively. Each of the drive mechanisms 37 and 33 cooperates at a different time with a driven member 41 of the Geneva mechanism, which member 41 is mounted on shaft 34. Drive mechanism 37 acts to first accelerate the carriage forwardly, move it at a constant speed through gearing for a given period, and then deceierate it. Drive mechanism 3% serves the identical function to move the carriage rearwardly on its eturn stroke. The mechanism A does not, per se, form a part of this present invention and has not, therefore, ieen described in detail. Reference is made to the aforesaid Seel patent and to Patent No. 2,659,237 to James R. Wood for the details of structure and operation of the mechanism A. it is to be understood that other suitable mechanisms may be utilized to reciprocate the carriage 21.

As the carriage 21 is reciprocated toward and away from the sheet handling machine lit to feed the sheets S, the back-gauges 12 are projected above the upper surface of the bars 18, upon which the sheet S to be fed is supported, at the beginning of the feed movement of the carriage 21 and are retracted at the end of the feed movement to a position below the upper surface of the bars 18 and are retained in the latter position for the return movement of the carriage. This enables the next sheet to be delivered onto the feed table 11 while the carriage 21 is being returned. Pushers 4 of a preliminary advancing means shown in the aforesaid Seel patent are indicated in FIG. 1. These pushers deliver a sheet into position on the table 11 to be taken by the backgauges 12.

The bacl gauges 12 are each supported on an L-shaped bracket 45 and the brackets 45 are rockably supported on a tubular shaft .6 which extends transversely of the carriage 21. The opposite ends of the shaft 46 are supported by respective brackets 47 which are carried by the top of the side members of which the adjacent racks 25, 2e are a part. As described in the aforesaid Seel patent, the brackets 47 are movable along the top of the side members formed in part by the racks 25, 26 to adjust the position of the back-gauges 12 along the carriage for different length sheets.

The back-gauges 12 are rocked between a position below the top of the feed table 11 and a position wherein they project above the top of the table to engage a sheet by raising and lowering a channel member 48 which extends parallel to the path of movement of the carriage 21 and is disposed below the carriage and the left-hand backgauge 12 as is shown in FIG. 2. The channel member 48 has a channel 49 therein which receives a roller 50 carried by one end of the rocker arm 51 on the carriage 21. The rocker arm 51 is fixed to a rock shaft 53 extending between depending flanges 54 of the bracket members 47. The rock shaft 53 is connected to raise and lower the brackets 45 carrying the back-gauges 12 through a respective lever 56 for each bracket, the lever 56 being fixed to the rock shaft 53 for rotation therewith and each lever being connected at its outer end to the corresponding bracket 45 by a yieldable tie connection 57. Referring to FIG. 3, it can be seen that when the channel member is raised, the back-gauges 12 are lowered through the operation of the rock shaft 53 and when the channel member is lowered, the back-gauges are raised. The raising and lowering of the channel member 43 is done in timed rela tion to the reciprocation of the carriage 21 by a cam 58 fixed to the shaft 35 and a cam follower 59 which cooperates with the cam 53 and which is connected to an arm of a bell crank lever 66 supported by a rock shaft 61, which arm is also pivoted to the forward end of the channel member 48, the other end of the channel being con nected to one arm of a bell crank lever 62. The rocking of crank 69 by the cam 58 also rocks the lever 62 by reason of a tie connection and effects the raising and lowering of the channel member 48 and, in turn, the backgauges 12.

In the illustrated embodiment, the bracket 45 when raised, engages a stop member 63 carried by the carriage 21, as is shown in FIG. 8. The stop member 63 is carried by a body member 63 fixed to the frame of carriage 21. The stop member preferably includes offset portions which are selectively positionable to interpose stop portions of different thickness between the bracket 45 and the body member 63 The stop member 63 is clamped against the body member 63 by a spring 63 operating on a rod extending from the stop member 63 through the body member 63 In additional to the back-gauges 12, the carriage 21 includes side registering gauges 64, 65 disposed adjacent the opposite sides of the carriage. The side registering gauges 64, 65 are supported on respective brackets 66 which are carried by the shaft 46 and by tubular shafts 67, 68 disposed rearwardly of the shaft 46, the shaft 67 being intermediate the shafts 46 and 68; the shafts 67, 68 are supported by the brackets 47 and the shaft 67 is rotatably supported by the brackets and is oscillatable to effect operation of the side gauges 64, 65. The oscillation of the shaft 67 effects operation of the side-gauges 64, 65 through mechanism fully shown and described in the aforesaid Seel patent and which does not, per se, form a part of the present invention and the description thereof will, therefore, not be repeated. Sufficc it to say that when the shaft 67 is oscillated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2, the side-gauges 64, 65 are operated to side register a sheet on the carriage 21 and when oscillated in the opposite direction are returned to an inactive position.

The shaft 67 is oscillated to operate the side-gauges by operation of a crank lever 70 fixed to the left-hand end of the shaft as the latter is viewed in FIG. 2. The crank lever 70 has a roller 71 at its outer end which is received by a channel member 72 supported by bell crank levers 73, 74, see FIG. 4. The channel member 72 extends parallel to the line of movement of the carriage 21 and "the bell crank levers 73, 74 are supported by shafts 75 lower 77 fixed to the free end of a rock arm 78 having its other end fixed to the shaft 75 supporting the bell crank lever 73. Upon rocking of the rock arm 78, the shaft 75 supporting the lever 73 is oscillated and this, in turn, oscillates the bell crank lever 73 since the latter is fixed to the shaft 75 for oscillation therewith. The bell crank lever 73 is connected to, in turn, oscillate the bell crank lever 7 through a tie rod 79. As fully described in the aforesaid Seel patent, the channel 72 is operated to effect side registering at a predetermined point in the feed movement of the carriage.

The structure and operation of the sheet feeding and registering mechanism, as thus far described, are the same as that shown and described in the aforesaid Seel patent and as fully disclosed therein. The movement of the carriage 21 may be such that the back-gauges 12 engage the sheet to be advanced as they are being accelerated, at the beginning of their feed stroke, to a constant speed period in which they are moving the sheet at a uni- LE form speed which is preferably the speed of the sheet handling machine.

In accordance with the present invention, the carriage 21 is provided with a means for gripping the sheet and for applying a force which urges the sheet toward and against the back-gauges. In the preferred and illustrated embodiment, the sheet gripping element is a flexible rubber sucker 86 which is disposed just forwardly of the back-gauges 12 and substantially halfway there-between. The sheet gripping sucker 80 is adapted to engage the underside of the sheet being pushed by the back-gauges 12 and is carried by a bracket 31 clamped to the shafts 46, 63. The bracket 81 extends between the shafts 46, 68, passing over the shaft 67, and is clamped to the shaft 46 by a clamp block 82 having a semicylindrical recess for receiving the shaft 46. The bracket 81 is clamped to the shaft 68 by a clamp block 84 disposed on the opposite side of the shaft from the bracket 81.

The sucker 36 is of conventional construction and includes a head S6 generally frusto-conical in shape. The sucker has a lower tubular end 87 which fits over the upper end of a vertical push rod 26. A tubular member 88 surrounds the lower end of the sucker and provides a frusto-conical recess 89 forming a seat for the head 86. The member 88 is preferably made of two semicylindrical halves, which are fastened together by means of screws, which clamp and tightly seal the cylindrical lower end of the sucker 86 to the upper end of the rod 90. The rod 90 extends downwardly from the member 83 between a pair of leaf springs 93 fastened to the bracket 81 by screws 91. The springs 93 engage the opposite sides of the rod 96. An adjustable tappet rod 94 is threaded into the lower end of the push rod 9%) and extends downwardly therefrom through a ball pivot member 95 supported for limited, angular, universal movement in a bracket. member 96 carried by the clamp block 82. The bracket member 96 is adjustable transversely of the tappet rod 94 for squaring the sucker 86 relative to the sheets. The tappet rod 94 is axially slidable in the ball-type pivot member 95, and the push rod 96 is axially movable relative to the leaf springs @3 so that the leaf springs 93 and the pivot member 95 support the push rod 96 and the sucker S0 for ver tical reciprocatory movement and it will also be noted that these elements will allow universal ball-type movement about the pivot of the ball'type member 95.

The sucker $6 is moved up and down, as indicated in FIG. 5, between an inactive position and a position wherein it is adapted to engage the underside of the sheet being fed by the back-gauges 12 by the operation of a rocker 1% pivoted to the underside of the clamp block 82 and hav ing an arm 101 disposed to engage the lower end of the tappet rod 94. The rocker 166 has a second arm 102 which extends outwardly on the opposite side of its pivot connection to the clamp block 82 from the arm 191 and the upper side of which is adapted to be engaged by a roller 104- on the end of an arm 165 clamped to the shaft 67. The oscillation of the shaft 67 will oscillate the arm 105 to effect movement of the rocker about its pivot to move the arm fill thereof upwardly or permit its movement downwardly, depending upon the direction of movement of the rocker 100. If the arm 101 is moved upwardly, the sucker 86 is raised to a. sheet engaging position and if moved downwardly, the sucker 86 moves to an inactive position. The shaft 67 is shown in FIG. 5 as rocked to its limit in its clockwise direction, in which position the sucker is raised. Preferably, the sucker 80 is biased toward its inactive position by a spring 107 connected between the push rod 90 and the bracket 96 which supports the ball pivot 65.

A vacuum is applied to the sucker $6 to cause it to grip the sheet when the sucker is in its active position. To this end, the push rod 90 is provided with an L-shaped bore 108 having an axial portion which communicates with the opening in the tubular end 87 of the sucker head 86 and a radially extending portion 110, to which a vacuapropos 7 um pump 112 is connected by a flexible conduit 113. When the sucker 81 is moved to its active position and vacuum is applied to the sucker, the sucker 8t seals against the sheet and grips the same.

After the sucker 8i grips the sheet, a force is applied to the sucker 8t tending to move the same opposite to the direction of feed movement to snug the sheet against the back-gauges 12. To this end, a vacuum actuator 11 is provided and is connected to the sucker 8th to urge the same in a direction opposite the direction of feed movement. The actuator 114 is comprised of a diaphragm 115 which is preferably of the same construction and material as sucker 89. It is generally frusto-conical in shape and the outer periphery is clamped against the inside surface of an annular shoulder 116 at one end of a sleeve or cupshaped member 117 by a clamp plate 118. A centrally located thumb screw 1219 is threaded into an upstanding bracket 121 and forces the plate 118 into clamping position. The plate 118 forms with the inside of the diaphragm 115 a closed chamber 119 and the plate 118 has an opening therein through which a vacuum connection is made to the inside of the chamber 119 for purposes to be shown presently. The diaphragm 115 has a cylindrical portion 122 formed on the outer side thereof which receives an internally threaded plug 123 into which a rod 124 is threaded to form a force-transmitting connection for transmitting the movements of the diaphragm to the sucker 81). The rod 124 extends outwardly from the plug 123 and is part of a yieldable preload connection 125 between the vacuum actuator 114 and the sucker 3%). The

,preload connection 125 further includes a sleeve member 126 having one end pivoted about a horizontal axis to the tubular support member 88 and a cap 127 threaded onto the other end of the sleeve member. The cap 12'? is positioned adjacent the outer end of the cylindrical portion 122 and the rod 124 extends freely through the cap 127 into the sleeve member 126 and threads into a slidable member 128 disposed Within the sleeve member 126 and having a portion 131 extending outwardly through an elongated opening 131 in the sleeve member 126. A spring 132 is disposed about the rod 124 between the block 1319 and the inside of the cap 127 so that, if the rod 124 is pulled to the left, as the latter is viewed in FIG. 5, the force will be transmitted through the slidable member 123, the spring 132, the cap 127 and the sleeve 126 to the tubular member 88 and sucker 81]. The spring is preloaded differently for various types of stock and is adapted to yield when the force of the sucker pulling a sheet against the back-gauges 12 exceeds the force of the spring. When this occurs, there will be a separation of the cap 127 and the plug 123, and the sucker will urge the sheet against the back-gauges with only so much force. Adjustment of preload force may be accomplished by loosening the thumb screw 120 and rotating the freed diaphragm in the proper direction relative to the nonrotatable member 128 to thread the rod 124 into or out of the slidable member 123, to increase or decrease the preload of the spring.

The vacuum connection to the chamber 119 of the vacuumactuator 114 includes a conduit 136 which communicates with the conduit 113 adjacent the member 83 and, in turn, with the vacuum pump 112. Until the sucker 8i? seals against the sheet, there is no effective vacuum applied to the actuator, but after the sucker seals, a vacuum will be applied to the chamber 119 through conduit 136 and the diaphragm will collapse to provide a force tending to move the sucker 80 rearwardly toward the back-gauges 12. This will cause the sheet gripped by the sucker 8th to be snugged into engagement with the back-gauges with the proper force required. The movement required of the sucker 811 to snug the sheets against the back-gau es is very small and has been indicated for purposes of illustration in an exaggerated manner in PEG. 7.

The vacuum pump 112 for providing the vacuum for the sucker 80 and the vacuum actuator 114 is disposed below the tie rods 27 and is comprised of a cylinder 13%,

a stationary piston 140, and a piston rod 141. The pump is similar to a bicycle-type pump and the cylinder member 138 is an elongated tubular member and is supported between the tie rods 27. The outer end of the piston rod 141 is fixed to a bracket 142 carried by shafts 143 forming part of the stationary feeder frame. The shafts 143 are disposed rearwardly of the carriage 21 and the piston rod 141 extends parallel to the direction of feed movement of the carriage, the piston rod being connected to the bracket by bolts 1% received in elongated holes 144'. The holes 14 3 are spaced horizontally and the position of the rod 141 can be adjusted by adjusting the position of the bolts in the holes 144'. When the carriage 21 is in its rearwardmost position, the cylinder 138 is substantially entirely telescoped over the stationary piston rod 141 and piston 1%, as indicated in phantom in FIG. 5, and as the carriage 21 moves in a feed direction, the cylinder 133 moves with the carriage to increase the distance between the piston 146) and the forward end of the cylinder 138. The conduit 113 is connected through the closed end wall of the cylinder 13% at the forward end thereof so as to communicate with the space between the forward end wall and the piston 14%. The forward end wall of the cylinder 138 is formed by a rubber plug 145. As the cylinder is moved forwardly relative to the piston head 14%, a vacuum is developed between the rubber plug 145 and the piston 14% and this vacuum is applied to operate the sucker 30 and the vacuum actuator 114. The cylinder 138 is formed with blow holes 146 in that part of the cylinder 13% which is moved past the piston head 14% as the carriage 21 reaches the point in its feed movement where the sucker is to lose its grip on the sheet. This is preferably just after the sheet has been picked up by the sheet handling machine. As the blow holes 146 pass the piston 141 they place the space between the plug 145 and the piston Mil in communication with atmosphere to destroy the vacuum causing the loss of the grip of the sucker 81) on the sheet being fed and the return of the diaphragm to a noncollapsed position. The .sucker fiil then drops to its inactive position by reason of the action of the spring 1%, the rock arm 1115 having been returned to the dotted position shown in FIG. 5.

In the illustrated feeding and registering mechanism, the sucker 80 is moved to sheet-gripping position simultaneously with the actuation of the side-gauges to side register the sheet being fed. It will be recalled that the shaft 67 is oscillated to effect operation of the side-gauges and that the shaft 67 also effects movement of the sucker St to its active position. Preferably, this occurs a short time after the back-gauges 12 first engage the sheet to be fed and registered, and, in the type of feeding and registering mechanism shown and described in the present application and in the aforesaid Seel patent, it preferably takes place at about the beginning of the uniform motion of the feed stroke. Obviously, however, by change in design, the timing of operation of the sucker and sidegauging may be varied. It will be noted that the gripping of the sheets by the sucker 80 and its action in holding the sheets against the back-gauges overcomes certain side-gauging problems. Normally, the side gauges are operated to push the sheet sideways to register the same by applying or pushing force to the side or sides of the sheet. This force will often tend to cock the sheet around its center of gravity and pull the rear edge from the backgauge. The gripping of a sheet, preferably adjacent the rear edge thereof, and the holding of it in engagement with the back-gauges, overcome this problem.

It will be noted that since the push rod 91} is free to move sideways, as well as up and down, the action of the sucker in gripping the sheet will not interfere with side registration of the sheet. Furthermore, since the sheet is preferably gripped at one point halfway between the back-gauges 12, the sheet will be free to pivot universally to facilitate proper registration against the back-gauges 12, while still enabling use of side registration.

Summary: The sheets to be fed are pushed in succession to a position along the feed table 11 by pushers 44 of a preliminary advancing means and the sheets are taken from the pushers 44 by the back-gauges 12 of the feeding and registering mechanism 13 and are then forwarded to the sheet handling machine by the back-gauges 12. The back-gauges 12 are supported on a reciprocating carriage which has a feed stroke and a return stroke and the backgauges 12 are adapted to engage the back edge of the sheet being delivered by the preliminary advancing means at the beginning of the feed stroke of the carriage and preferably while the carriage is being accelerated to a portion of its feed stroke which is at a uniform speed that is approximately equal to the speed of the sheet receiving mechanism of the sheet handling machine. As the backgauges 12 push the sheet forward during the feed stroke of the carriage, the sheet is gripped by a sheet gripper, the sucker 34) in the illustrated embodiment, and a force is applied to the gripper during the feed movement which tends to urge the sucker in the direction opposite the direction of feed movement to snug the sheet gripped thereby against the back-gauges 12. Preferably, the sheet gripper is disposed approximately midway between the backgauges 12 and is supported for limited universal movement to facilitate the registering of the back edge of the sheet against the back-gauges. As hereinbefore pointed out, the sheet gripper is also supported so that it does not interfere with the side registering movement of the sheet and the carriage is, in the illustrated and preferred embodiment, provided with side-gauges which are operated to side register the sheet as it is fed forward by the feeding and registering mechanism 13. Preferably, the sheet gripper holds the sheet against the back-gauges until after the sheet handling machine picks up the sheet being delivered by the mechanism 13. The gripper is then operated to release the sheet and is preferably moved to an inactive position for the return stroke of the carriage by operation of the shaft 67 to permit the sucker 30 to be returned to its inactive position. When the gripper is to be returned to an active feed gripping position at the beginning of the next feed stroke of the carriage, the shaft 67 is again actuated to effect a raising of the gripper to an active position. The gripping action of the sucker 80 is controlled, in the illustrated and preferred embodiment, by controlling the vacuum applied thereto. In the illustrated embodiment, vacuum is applied to the sucker when the carriage starts its feed movement by operation of the vacuum pump 112, a vacuum being applied to the sucker 8t} whenever the cylinder 138 and piston rod 141 are relatively extended. The release of the sucker 80 after the sheet has been transferred to the sheet handling machine is accomplished by providing blow holes in the cylinder 138 which breaks the vacuum when the carriage reaches a predetermined position in its sheet stroke.

The sucker 8%) has been shown as adapted to grip the sheet and move it toward the back-gauges. A gripping element corresponding to the sucker 80 could be utilized to grip the sheet and then move it against the side-gauge member carried by the carriage to effect side-gauging and a side-gauging movement could also be imparted to sucker 80 by mounting the vacuum actuator for moving the sucker rearwardly to exert a force on the sucker 80 which has a side-gauging component or by using separate actuating means, such as a second vacuum motor, for urging the sucker sideways of the carriage.

While, in the illustrated embodiment, a single sucker has been shown, it will be understood that other type grippers might be used and that a plurality of suckers or grippers can be utilized where suitable. Furthermore, other suitable means different from a vacuum actuator may be utilized to effect relative movement of the sucker and back gauge.

While the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in considerable detail, it will be understood that the present invention may be used with 19 other feeding and registering mechanisms and that modifications, constructions and arrangements may be made within the ability of those skilled in the art and it is hereby my intention to cover all such modifications, constructions and arrangements which fall within the ability of those skilled in the art and the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1, In a feeding and registering mechanism comprising a back-gauging pusher adapted to engage the back edge of a sheet to push the sheet forwardly in a feed direction and to simultaneously eflect registration of the sheet against the pusher, means for advancing the pusher in a feed direction, and side-gauging mechanism for registering the sheet as it is advanced by said pusher, the combination of a gripping element adapted to effectively grip said sheet as it is being pushed by said pusher, means supporting said element for limited universal movement and for advancing said element in said feed direction with said pusher, means for controlling the gripping action of said element in relationship to the advancement of the pusher in a feed direction to efiect a gripping of the sheet in advance of the time the sheet is side registered by said side gauging mechanism, and means connected to said element tending to produce relative movement thereof in a direction to urge the sheet against the pusher after the sheet is gripped by said element and to hold the sheet against the pusher as it is being advanced by the pusher before and after side registration.

2. In a feeding and registering mechanism comprising a pair of spaced back-gauging pushers adapted to engage the back edge of a sheet to push the sheet forwardly along a sheet line in a feed direction and to effect registration of the sheet against the pushers as the sheet is being advanced and means for advancing the pushers in a feed direction through a feed stroke, said back-gauging pushers engaging the sheet to be fed on opposite sides of the center line thereof, the combination of a gripping element adapted to effectively grip said sheet as it is being pushed by said pushers, said element being disposed appproximately on a line midway between said pushers and perpendicular to a line joining said pushers, means for advancing said element in said feed direction as said pushers are advanced and supporting said pushers and element for limited relative movement toward each other as the pushers and element are advanced to snug the sheet being advanced and gripped against the pushers, and means for effecting the gripping action of said element and said relative movement in relationship to its movement in a feed direction and for effecting said relative movement after the gripping of said sheet by said element to urge and hold said sheet against said pushers after the gripping of said sheet and while it is being advanced by said pushers.

3. In a back-gauge type feeding and registering mechanism including a reciprocable carriage movable in a feed direction to advance a sheet to be fed through a feed stroke to deliver the sheet to a sheet handling machine and having back-gauge means thereon for pushing the sheet and simultaneously effecting registration of the back edge of the sheet, the improvement which comprises a gripping element on said carriage and reciprocable therewith and disposed to effectively grip a sheet being advanced thereby, means supporting said element and said back-gauge means on said carriage for relative movement toward each other to move a sheet gripped by said element toward and against said back-gauge means, and control means for effecting a gripping of said sheet by said element during said feed stroke and a release of said sheet at the end of the feed stroke and for moving said element and back gauge means toward each other after the sheet has been gripped and to hold the sheet against said back gauge means until the end of said feed stroke.

4. A back-gauge type feeding and registering mechanism according to claim 3 wherein said gripping element is supported on said carriage bymeans which supports the element for vertical movement from an active position adjacent the sheet line of the carriage to an inactive position below the sheet line .of the carriage and said mechanism includes means for actuating said element in timed relationship to the movement of said carriage between its active and inactive Positions.

5. In a back-gauge type feeding and registering mechanism including a reciprocable carriage movable in a feed .direction to advance a sheet to be fed through a feed stroke and having spaced back gauges on opposite sides of a center line thereof for pushing the sheet and effecting registration of the back edge thereof, the improvement which comprises a gripping element supported by said carriage and disposed on said center line of said carriage and adapted to grip a sheet being advanced by said gauges, means supporting said element for relative movement with respect to said carriage opposite to the direction of feed movement to snug a sheet gripped by the element against said gauges, means operable to effect a gripping of said sheet by said element at the beginning of the feed movement of said carriage and to release said sheet as the carriage approaches the end of its feed stroke, and means operable to produce said relative movement during the feeding of said sheet.

'6. in a back-gauge type feeding nad registering mechanism including a reciprocable carriage movable in a feed direction to advance a sheet to be fed through a feed stroke and having a back gauge thereon for pushing the sheet and efiecting registration of the back edge thereof, the improvement which comprises a gripping element disposed on said carriage forwardly of said back gauge and adapted to grip a sheet being advanced by said gauge, means supporting said element for relative movement with respect to said carriage opposite to the direction of feed movement to move a sheet gripped by the element against said gauge, means connected to said element and actuatable to a first condition to effect movement of said element toward said back gauge to move a sheet gripped thereby into engagement with the back gauge if displaced therefrom and to urge said element and sheet gripped thereby toward the back gauge while in said first condition, control means for said element and the last-said means and operable to effect a gripping of said sheet by said element at the beginning of the feed stroke of said carriage and to actuate the last-said means to its firstsaid condition after the gripping of said sheet by said element and for substantially the remainder of the feed stroke of said carriage during which said gauge advances said sheet.

7. In a sheet feeding and registering mechanism, a back gauge element for engaging'the trailing edge of a .sheet and movable through a feed stroke to advance and register the sheet by pushing it, a sheet gripping element adapted to grip asheet being advanced by said back gauge element, first means for advancing said gripping element in a predetermined manner with respect to said back gauge element as the latter moves through its feed stroke, means supporting said elements for relative movement toward each other as said gripping element is advanced with said gauge element, and actuating means connected to one of said elements and actuated as said elements are advanced by said first means to effect relative movement of said elements toward each other if the gripped sheet is displaced from said back gauge element to cause a sheet gripped by said gripping element to engage said back gauge element and to continuously urge the sheet to move against said back gauge element, the engagement of a sheet gripped by said gripping element with said back gauge element preventing relative movement between said elements by said actuating means.

8. In a feeding and registering mechanism, the structure as defined in claim 7 wherein said actuating means includes control means for effecting operation of said gripping element to grip the sheet during the first part of said feed stroke and to effect the urging of the sheet against the gauge element after the gripping of the sheet and to hold the sheet against the gauge element for substantially the remainder of the feed stroke during which the gauge element pushes the sheet and to effect a release of said sheet from said gripping element at approximately the end of the advancement of said sheet by said gauge element.

9. In a feeding and registering mechanism, the structure as defined in claim 8 wherein said control means effects operation of said actuating means to cause said gripping element to grip said sheet after said back gauge element engages said sheet.

10. In a feeding and registering mechanism for advancing a sheet in a feed direction and comprising a pushertype back gauging element engageable with the trailing edge of the sheet to advance the latter in a feed direction and to register it as it is advanced, a first support for said back gauging element, the support being reciprocated to move said gauging element through a feed stroke to feed and register a sheet and then through a return stroke, a sheet gripping element disposed to effectively grip the sheet being fed, a second support for said gripping element, means interconnecting said supports to advance them as a unit through the feed stroke of said first support, means supporting one of said elements on the support therefor for movement relative to the support and toward the other element during the feed stroke while said sheet is being gripped by said gripping element and advanced by said gauging element, and actuating means operatively connected to said one element and operable to urge the latter to move toward the other element in the absence of being held against movement by a sheet gripped thereby and engaging said gauging element.

11. The method of feeding a sheet to a sheet handling machine wherein the sheet is pushed to the sheet handling machine by a back-gauge type feeding and registering mechanism having a back gauge which engages the rear or trailing edge of the sheet to push the sheet in a feed direction, the improvement which comprises moving a sheet gripping element with the back gauge as the latter advances the sheet, gripping the sheet with said element as the sheet and element are being advanced and urging the back gauge and the element to move toward each other after the sheet is gripped to move the gripped sheet into engagement with the back gauge if displaced therefrom and to hold the sheet against the back gauge as the sheet 7 is being fed forward to prevent bouncing of the sheet as it is pushed by the back gauge.

12. The method of feeding and registering a sheet wherein the sheet is pushed forwardly with back-gauge means to advance the sheet and to register the rear edge thereof as the sheet advances and wherein the sheet is side registered as it is advanced, the steps of gripping the sheet as it is being advanced at a point rearwardly of the points on the sheet which are engaged to side register the sheet, urging the sheet rearwardly into engagement with the backgauge means, and holding the sheet in engagement with the back-gauge means by maintaining a force on the sheet tending to produce relative movement between the sheet and back-gauge means in a direction opposite to which the back-gauge means is advancing the sheet, and side registering the sheet by engaging the sheet at said points after it is gripped and urged against the back-gauge means.

13. In aback-gauge type feeding and registering mechanism including a reciprocable carriage moveable in a feed direction to advance a sheet to be fed through a feed stroke to deliver the sheet to a sheet handling machine and having back-gauge means thereon for pushing the sheet and simultaneously effecting registration of the back edge of the sheet, the improvement which comprises a gripping element on said carriage and reciprocable therewith and disposed to-eifectively grip a sheet being advanced thereby, means supporting said element and said back-gauge means on said carriage for relative movement toward each other to move a sheet gripped by said element toward and against said back-gauge means, and control means for effecting a gripping of said sheet by said element during said feed stroke and a release of said sheet at the end of the feed stroke and for moving said element and back gauge means toward each other after the sheet has been gripped and to hold the sheet against said back-gauge means until the end of said feed stroke, said carriage including side gauge means comprising a side gauge member against which a sheet is side registered as it is advanced and said gripper element being supported on said carriage by means permitting limited movement of said element in a direction to move a sheet toward said back-gauge means and in a second direction to move a 14 sheet toward said side gauge member, said element being operated to grip said sheet before side registration and to hold said sheet against said back gauge means during and after side registration.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,066,528 Randolph July 8, 1913 2,074,720 Eckhard Mar. 23, 1937 2,167,823 Backhouse Aug. 1, 1939 2,267,710 Ayres Dec. 30, 1941 2,599,602 Backhouse June 10, 1952 2,675,231 Dotty Apr. 13, 1954 2,797,094 Seel June 25, 1957 

